I’ve been obsessed with making my own pizza all summer long. If you follow my instagram account you will have seen me devouring them. Homemade pizza is such a joy and puts a smile on the face of anyone that eats it. A thin crispy crust, covered with fresh vegetables and and cheese, and eaten outside. I decided to  switch it up a bit this time and go for a Thai style pizza. The sauce was made with coconut milk and peanut butter, then I layered it up with chicken and lovely Thai vegetables. Served with my tomato salad and a homemade Pimm’s it was perfection. An awesome, easy, and fresh dinner to share with your loved one or friends.

Ingredients (makes 3 large pizzas)

Dough 

500g flour (I used the one for dumplings and noodles.)

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of yeast (I used bobai brand that comes in 8g packages)

4 table spoons of olive oil

14 oz ice cold water

Sauce

1/2 a can of coconut milk

3 tablespoons of peanut butter

2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce.

Topping

1 chicken breast

1/2 an onion

1 egg plant

1-2 chillies

150g of grated cheese

A bunch of cilantro (고수)

A handful of basil leaves

Directions 

1. Make the pizza dough using my recipe here.

2. While the dough is resting, cook your chicken breasts with a little garlic and oil. I also added some Thai seasoning I bought on i-Herb. Then slice and roast your egg plants. Grate the cheese, and slice the onion and chillies. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

3. Roll out the dough to the size of your pan, then sprinkle with flour before placing the dough on top. Cover the base with the sauce and bake in the oven for 10 minutes to cook the dough. If you don’t do this and you pile on everything on top first the dough will stay raw in the middle.

4. Once the base has cooked, layer it up with cheese and all your lovely vegetables apart from the basil leaves and cook for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. Sprinkle the basil leaves on top then serve.

No one enjoys a luxury brunch accompanied by several cocktails more than me. While there are lots of great options for brunch all around Itaewon, it’s hard to find one which has great food and great drinks. So when The Libertine Bar & Kitchen opened its doors I was very keen to give it a try.

The restaurant is sleek and smart, and full of clean lines while still remaining welcoming and friendly. It really evokes a  New York kind of feeling. The whole place has a sense of occasion about it and make you feel as though you are going somewhere special.

With a decent sized bar with ample seating, it would also be a nice spot to enjoy a great drink after work.

The day menu is short and sweet offering up traditional brunch items with an eclectic twist. An Eggs Benedict (16,000) is an essential item for any brunch menu and at Libertine they got it absolutely spot on. I really couldn’t fault it. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the bacon was thick and tasty and an absolute cut above what is usually served. The star of the show really is the hollandaise though. By far the best I have had in Korea, it was so thick and creamy it was practically mousse like, it generously topped the eggs below. Served with the requisite side salad it’s the perfect brunch.

Being a Florentine fan myself we had to try the Eggs and Spinach (16,000). This was a nice twist on the classic. A large piece of toast topped with two perfectly poached eggs and topped with the mild spinach and cheese sauce. beautifully presented and effortlessly tasty it was nice to see this on the menu.

If you are a regular reader of my recipes, you know I am a fan of capresa salad, so when I saw the Grilled Watermelon Capresa salad (16,000) I just had to try it. Grilled wedges of fresh juicy watermelon, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and chili, drizzled with balsamic reduction and basil oil. It came with an olive crumble which I’m not sure added anything to the dish. I think I would have preferred some nice juicy olives instead of this slightly  pretentious crumble but I still enjoyed the dish immensely.

There was no way I could leave without trying the LBK Burger(18,000). I wasn’t a fan of the usually well regarded burger at the head chef’s former restaurant Scout, so I felt in need to give this one a go to make sure. It was much more satisfying. A medium cooked burger, tasty soft bun, cheese, homemade ketchup and salad. It almost warranted a small Mmm. Not the best burger ever but it was good and I would order it again, despite the fact it’s messy and does fall apart as you eat it. I also enjoyed the cute fries in their small basket. Although some homemade ketchup or aioli might be nicer instead of the regular stuff.

The drinks menu is just as good as the food. They have all the traditional brunch cocktails like Bloody Marys and Mimosas, as well as various other more inventive libations for those who need hard liquor in the morning. Brunch is a time to get drunk and eat good food and you can do it in spades here. Each drink that I have tried, has been mixed expertly with a subtle, excellent balance of flavours that have been thoughtfully picked out.

In particular we were fond of the lemongrass infused gin, sorbet martini, and LBK lemonade.  My only complaint is that the drinks service is a bit slow, especially the first time we visited, when our food came a good 10 minutes before our drinks which is a particular pet peeve of mine. If they could get those drinks coming out a little faster it would be a 10/10 for me.

The Libertine Bar & Kitchen is located at 141-8 Itaewon. To get their take a train to Itaewon station (line 6) Come out of exit 3 and turn back on yourself and take a left walking down the furniture street past Taco Bell, and Bulldogs restaurant. Keep going straight until you reach The Libertine on the ground floor. You can call them on 02-790-9477 or check out their facebook page for more information.

I do love my kalbi, out of all Korean foods it’s still my favourite. The problem is I just don’t eat it enough. I use it in the winter to make stews, but in the summer other than eating it Korean style I’m always at a bit of a loss. So making kalbi tacos which are all the rage stateside seemed ideal. This is one of the best dinners we have had in a long time and a perfect no hassle meal if you are having friends over.

Ingredients

1 roll of kalbi per person

2 small tortillas per person

1/2 an avocado sliced

Lettuce leaves for serving

Salad

A small wedge of red cabbage

1/2 a cucumber

1 green pepper

1 stick of celery

5 green onions

1 large handful of cilantro (고수)

Dressing 

3 tablespoons of sesame seed oil

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

1 tablespoon of hot sauce or gochu paste

Directions

1. To make the salad, grate the cucumber then slice the pepper, red cabbage and celery very finely and put in a bowl. Use a pair of scissors to cut the green onions and cilantro and add to the bowl and mix everything together.

2. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together, then pour over the salad.

3. Put a frying pan on medium heat, then add a piece of the kalbi. Cook on one side for about 3 minutes, then flip over and do the other side for another 2-3 minutes until it’s browned on both sides. Be sure to cut the rib pieces off and cook them separately as they will take much longer. When the meat is done, leave to cool while you cook your next piece. When it is cold enough to touch, cut it into strips. it’s much easier if you use a pair of scissors.

4. When everything is done, put it all out and let everyone assemble their own. A bottle of sriracha doesn’t go amiss either, it gives a nice kick for those who like it spicy.

I have been craving a chicken pie for quite some time now. This craving was increased ten fold when a friend sought out my own advice on baking a chicken pie. We had a good long debate about filling and pastry crusts. He went for a more difficult double pastry pie, I went for the more simple one layer. Now I love pastry as much as the next girl, probably more, but for one I don’t have a real pie tin, not a deep one anyway and Mary Berry has me petrified of producing baked goods with  soggy bottoms. So I figured I could make a nice deep pie in my lasagne dish covered with a pastry top. It came out perfectly and I’m glad I went with this decision. It was quick and easy and who can be bothered with a lot of fuss on a Monday night? The Fat Boyfriend also made the shortcrust pastry making it even easier. Since he’s begun baking I love him even more than I used to. I would advise all girls get their boyfriends the Paul Hollywood bread book as a present as it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Ingredients

Pastry

250g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

125g chilled unsalted butter

2 medium egg yolks

About 50ml cold water

Filling

2-3 chicken breasts (I used 3 as I had a few that needed using up)

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

4 potatoes (small-medium)

1 green pepper

1 carrot

3 mushrooms

1 small bunch of spinach

1 small bunch of parsley

1 tablespoon of rosemary

1 tablespoon of sage

3 + 1 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

1 litre of of chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg beaten (for washing)

Directions 

1. To make the pastry, first put the flour and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add the butter. You can either cube the butter or grate it with a cheese grater. I find the second method makes the next step easier. Rub the ingredients together with your fingers until you get a texture that resembles breadcrumbs, making sure that all of the butter has been evenly incorporated. Next add the egg yolks and mix using your hands. Finally slowly add the water and keep mixing until everything has come together and the sides of the bowl are clean. You may not need all of the water. Form the pastry into a ball and then gently flatten it into a disk shape with your fingers. Take care to handle it as little as you possibly can at this stage. Wrap it in cling-film and then leave it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a saucpan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the chicken breasts and poach for about 20 minutes. Peel the potatoes and chop the carrots then after 10 minutes add the potatoes and carrots to the stock. When everything if done remove the chicken carrots and potatoes from the stock and set aside. When the chicken has cool shred into pieces. then chop the potatoes.

3. In a separate frying pan, heat a little oil and chop the onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes until translucent. Meanwhile chop the green pepper, mushrooms, and spinach then add to the pan along with a knob of butter. Cook for a few more minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the spinach has wilted then turn off the heat.

4. To make your sauce melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan then stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for a minute or so then add back in the chicken stock that you saved from earlier. Keep stirring and let the sauce come together, be sure not to let it catch on the bottom. After a few minutes the sauce will have thickened, add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the coked vegetables, chicken, and potatoes back into the sauce and make sure it has combined. Pour the filling into your pie dish and allow to cool while you roll out the pastry.

6.Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Then on a lightly floured surface roll your pastry until it’s 2-3mm thick and bigger than the size of your dish. Carefully take your pastry and lay it across your dish and seal the edges of the pastry on to your dish by pressing them together. Cut a cross in the middle to let any stream escape then use any leftover pastry to cut some shapes and make a pretty pattern. Brush the whole thing with your egg wash and cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until your pastry is golden brown and cooked through all the way. Serve, enjoy and give yourself a pat on the back, cause you just made a pie!

So would you believe I actually managed to find lamb shoulder! Nothing excites one more than a Sunday roast dinner. Although finding big joints of meat like we get back home is ever so tricky. Even the chickens here are anorexic, not like the big juicy ones mummy always makes at home. I found this meaty delightfulness at The National Market just opposite the main FFM in Itaewon. They have a much bigger range of meats, including leg of lamb and chunks of stewing lamb for only 13,000 a kg. My shoulder cost 17,000, as it was just over a kg. Plenty of meat for four people. We are only a twosome though,  so we used the left overs to make a stew. I decided to serve up this dinner with two different kinds of potatoes as The Fat Boyfriend is Irish and that’s just what they do.

Ingredients

1.1kg of lamb shoulder

2 onions

5 potatoes

4 cloves of garlic

A little olive oil

1 tablespoon of rosemary (fresh if possible)

A pinch of salt and pepper

500ml of chicken stock.

Potato Cake 

6 potatoes

2 eggs

100g of cheese

50g of butter

100ml of milk

A pinch of salt and pepper

Oil for brushing

Directions

1. Fully defrost the lamb. I did mine in the sink overnight.

2. Preheat your oven to 140 degrees Celsius. Stab holes in your lamb and push pieces of garlic into them. If you have fresh rosemary put some in too. If not use a little dried. Rub the top with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Finely slice your potatoes and arrange on the tray. Then slice an onion and place in the middle. Pop the lamb on top and pour 500ml of chicken stock into the bottom of the pan and then tightly cover with foil and put in the oven for 4 hours.

3. After about four hours the lamb should be tender and come apart easily. If it doesn’t you can still cook it for another hour or so. Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the lamb after it came out of the oven. Clearly I was far too keen to eat it.

4. Pour of all that leftover stock and lovely lamb juices into a jug, as you will use this to make your gravy. Pop the lamb on a plate and cover loosely with the foil and leave to rest. Turn up the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and put the potatoes and onions back in to get crispy for about 10-20 minutes.

5.  To make the mash potato cake. Boil your potatoes in salted water until they are just about to fall apart. Meanwhile line a pan or dish with baking paper. Then strain. Mash them with the butter and milk then add the cheese and seasoning. Allow to cook slightly before mixing in the beaten eggs. You don’t want them to cook. Pop them into your pan and brush the top with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at 190 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes.

6. To make the gravy melt a knob of butter in a pan, then add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix to form a roux. Pour in your lamb juices and stock and keep whisking as you bring to the boil .It should thicken up as it heats up. Boil for a minute or two then serve.

6. Serve your lamb with your two kinds of potatoes, extra vegetables and your lovely gravy.

Last Saturday I helped lead 10 unsuspecting victims  around Kyungnidan on the Chips Maps foodie crawl. We all met up at Noksapyeong station then trawled around the area and tried to eat as much as humanly possible.

Our first stop was Craftworks Taphouse where we enjoyed chicken pepper poppers with 12 different dips. We all had different favourites, so here are our top picks , peri peri, buffalo, honey mustard and chipotle mayonnaise. I will have to go back to try a few more next time. A Bloody Mary and some chicken later it was time to move on.

Our second stop was Springs Taphouse, another craft beer joint. Although it was a food crawl we did spend a lot of time drinking, as eating can be very thirsty work. At Springs Taphouse we tried the three mushroom pate with cherry tomato and chickpea tapenade. I love this dish so was thrilled to be able to try it again, everyone agreed that it was absolutely delicious.

Third stop was Beer O’ Clock pizza. I had been meaning to eat here for quite some time now, so was very keen to try it out. The pizza crust was thin and crispy just how I like it. I was starting to get pretty full by this point but still managed to eat 2 slices.

Last stop was Maloneys. Here we enjoyed mini sliders. Thank God they were mini as I might not have managed a whole one. The meat was juicy and tasty though, I will be definitely coming back for a full sized one when I have more room.  We even stayed here and had a few more drinks after we were finished.

Everyone on the crawl was tonnes of fun and we all enjoyed a great afternoon. I am already looking forward to next weeks crawl around the world in Itaewon. If you would like to sign up for one of the future crawls, please check out the facebook page for more details.

I made this on Monday for dinner and my god was it good. We finished the whole thing in one sitting. Not great for the waistline, but it was too yummy to resist. I bought a kilo of mince beef at the butchers at the weekend and was wondering what to make. I thought I should try to make a few different things. I planned on making some spicy beef samosas, but when I took out my rather old samosa wrappers, they had seen far better days and I had to throw them away. For lack of a better idea I just made a giant batch of chili. We had some on top of homemade potato wedges and a little with rice. The rest went into the freezer. Then on Monday, inspiration struck, and I decided to try out Mexican lasagne. I took my chilli out of the freezer and warmed it back up, whipped up a quick cheese sauce, and bing bang boom, dinner was done in about 20 minutes. I will definitely be making this again very soon.

Ingredients

Chili 

350g of mince beef

1/2 a can of kidney beans

1/2 a can of black beans

1/2 can of corn

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

10 mushrooms

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

6 tomatoes or 1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

2-3 tablespoons of Mexican seasoning

1 teaspoon of chili powder

A small bunch of cilantro (고수)

Cheese sauce

25g of butter

25g of flour

400ml of milk (roughly)

Salt and pepper to taste

100g of cheddar cheese

Lasagne

4 large tortillas or 8 small

150g of grated cheese (i used a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)

Directions

Finely chop the onions and garlic and fry off in a little olive oil for a few minutes until softened. Then add the mince and fry until browned. Add the Worcestershire sauce and Mexican seasoning and stir. Chop the peppers and mushroom and add to the mince along with the tomatoes. Mix together, if it is a little dry add a cup of water or tomato juice. Cook for another 5- 10 minutes then add the beans and corn. Taste the chili then add in the cilantro and chili powder to taste.When the chili is done remove from the heat.

To make the cheese sauce melt the butter on a low heat in a saucepan, then add the flour. Mix together to make a paste, then add the milk. Whisk the sauce to dispel the lumps then keep stirring. After a few minutes the sauce will thicken, if it’s too thick add a little more milk. If it’s too thin add in a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of flour. As long as you add fat with your flour, the sauce will never be lumpy. Once the sauce has thickened add the cheese and stir until it has melted. Depending on what I am making I also like to crumble in a little chicken stock cube or mustard to give a little extra flavour.

To assemble the Mexican lasagne trim the sides off the tortillas to make them squarer, unless you are using a round dish of course. Place a tortilla in your dish then cover with a third of the chili, then place another tortilla and top with the second third of chili. Add  another tortilla then top with the final third of chili and finish with a tortilla. Use the trimmed pieces to fill in any gaps, then top with the cheese sauce and grated cheese. You can also sprinkle on a little extra cilantro on the top if you have some. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes to let the cheese melt. When it’s ready remove from the oven and leave for about 10 minutes or as long as you can wait for it to set a little. If you want to have beautiful slices then it needs to cool. Never one to have any patience I was not particularly good at this so my pictures are less than perfect, but you get the idea. Voilà Mexican Lasagne!

Every time I seem to watch TV, the characters always seem to be eating Huevos Rancheros. By the time I got to the third time I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I decided to whip myself up a batch. We like to vary our brunches, especially if we aren’t going out to a restaurant. It’s a nice change from the usual weekend brunch or even as a quick and easy dinner. Perfect for the summer time.

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 tortillas (I used the 6 inch ones)

1/2 a can of black beans

3 tablespoons of salsa

1 tablespoon of sour cream

1/2 an avocado

A few sprigs of cilantro

1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning

Directions

The first step is to blend the black beans with 1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning. You can just do this with the back of a fork if you don’t have a blender. Once the paste is formed warm it up in the microwave or a saucepan. Warm the tortillas, while you fry the eggs. chop the avocado. Put the tortilla on a plate, top with the black bean paste. Then top with the fried egg then arrange the salsa, sour cream and avocado as you like and sprinkle with cilantro. Voilà Huevos Rancheros.

Last week I picked up some insanely cheap fresh beetroot at my local market, (2 for 1,000). It’s insatiably good for your liver and my liver needs all the help it can get. Roasted beetroot is amazingly good just by itself, but I had some veg in the fridge that needed using so I decided to whip up this quinoa for my week day lunches. Tasty and healthy is always a winner for me. Switch up the veg depending on what you’ve got but be sure to keep in that beetroot.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (iHerb)

2 cups of water

2 beetroots

1 aubergine

8 mushrooms

15 cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

2 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs (I used cilantro)

A glug or two of olive oil

Directions

Rinse the quinoa in water then put in your saucepan with 2 cups of hot water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down once it is boiling and cook until all the water has evaporated and the quinoa is clear. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Chop and peel the beetroot and cut into chunks, top with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile chop the cherry tomatoes in half, and the aubergine and mushrooms into bite sized pieces. After the beetroot had had 10 minutes alone, add the other vegetables to the pan along with the mixed herbs and a little extra olive oil, and cook for another 10 minutes. When the  veg is nicely roasted stir into the quinoa, make sure to include all of those lovely juices. Chop the fresh herbs and sprinkle on top along with a squeeze of lemon. Voilà a lovely beetroot and quinoa salad. Serve hot or cold.

People often tell me that too many of my recipes involve an oven, which a lot of your lovely people are without. This can be remedied by a quick shop on Gmarket on which you can pick one up from 30-60,000. But for those of you that need every penny you have for more exciting things like beer and soju, I offer you this recipe instead. You shouldn’t have to suffer because you have trouble managing your budget.

Lasagne is one of those truly comforting meals that we all seem to miss while living away. I don’t know whether it’s the pasta, the cheese, or the beef, It just hits the spot every time. I often make a big one in the oven, but I was intrigued by the idea of doing one in the frying pan.  I was skeptical if it would work at first, but it turns out it does. I made a very simple version of my usual one without a bechamel sauce, but you could easily add one. I also broke my lasagne sheets into pieces but I think if you removed the meat sauce from the pan, you could layer it up the same as a traditional lasagne. I think next time I will try the full monty, but for now this is quick simple and easy lasagne cooked in a frying pan.

Ingredients

400g of minced beef

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 tin of tomatoes or 6 large fresh ones

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of ketchup

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

1 cup of tomato juice

5 sheets of lasagne (foreign food mart/ iHerb)

200g of grated Cheese (i used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella

Directions

Finely chop the onions and garlic and fry off in a little oil over a medium heat for a few minutes until translucent. Add the beef to the pan and fry until its browned. Then add the Worcestershire sauce and the herbs and mix. Roughly chop the peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes and put into the pan too. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down, then season with salt and pepper. Add the ketchup and cup of tomato juice  then cook until it looks more like bolognaise. If you have a glass of red wine handy add that in too. The sauce needs to have quite a bit of liquid, as the pasta will soak it all up as it cook. Break the lasagne sheets into pieces and mix in with the sauce, finishing with a final layer on the top. Reduce the heat and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. You may need to add more water or tomato juice if the pan is getting a little dry. After 10 minutes check the pasta, it should be a few minutes away from being done. If it’s still hard keep cooking. Once the pasta is almost done, top with cheese and cook for five more minutes until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and turn off the heat. You need to give it about 10 minutes to set a little. Whip up a quick side salad, have a nice glass of wine, or possibly a cold shower to cool you down from all that heat in the kitchen. Cut a slice, serve, and enjoy. There you have it frying pan lasagne. No need to suffer without your favourite dish, just because you live an ovenless life.